This invention relates to connection of data terminals to a data network through wireless access points, and in particular to provision of access in the event of failure, or a delay in installation, of a primary connection between an access point and the data network.
Connection to data networks such as the Internet has become an integral part of many domestic and small business activities. Typically, one or more user terminals will connect to the public network through a local area network (LAN) controlled by a router, which mediates data messages between the user terminal and the Internet, including providing modem functions. Connection between the terminal and the router may be by an Ethernet or Powerline connection, but increasingly wireless connection is used (a Wireless LAN or WLAN) as this allows terminals to be placed anywhere within wireless range of the router.
Terminals connected to the same router may also communicate between each other through the router, without going through the external network. To provide privacy for such activity, and to ensure the router is not misused by unauthorised persons to gain access to the internet, routers typically have access protection to ensure only users with the correct access credentials can use them.
Failure of the primary connection between an access point and the network can be problematic as users have become reliant on their internet connections for many business and domestic purposes.
Many troubleshooting operations can be provided by information available on the Internet, but if it is the Internet connection itself which has failed that information is not accessible unless the user has had the foresight to download it in advance. Consequently, such failures account for a very high proportion of calls to network operators' helpdesks—and in some cases even that course of action is not available if the Internet connection is over the user's telephone line, as the failure is likely to have affected voice calls over the telephone line as well.
Recent proposals, such as the applicant's earlier patent applications WO2014/083295 and WO2014/083296 allow a wireless router to establish wireless connection with another wireless router nearby, which has a public open-access facility and is still connected to the internet, allowing internet traffic to be relayed between the routers. However, there are many circumstances when this may not be practical, for example if no public-access wireless router is within range, or the fixed backhaul connection failure has affected the whole area, including any neighbouring routers within wireless range.
The present invention provides an alternative process to allow establishment of connection between the user and the data network in the absence of a connection through the primary (fixed) network.
According to the present invention, there is provided a process for operation by a wireless communications device, the process comprising the steps of:                receiving a signal from a local area network router to which the wireless communications device is currently wirelessly connected, indicative that the local area network router has detected absence of a primary backhaul connection to a data network,        identifying a wireless configuration identity of the router through which it identifies itself to the wireless communications device        setting up a network identity for the wireless communications device replicating the wireless configuration identity of the router        establishing a wireless secondary backhaul connection to the data network independent of the router        operating as a secondary access point to route data traffic between other wireless communication devices and the data network using the wireless configuration identity obtained from the router        
The wireless communications device, on detection that the local area network router has no primary backhaul connection, can then transmit a shutdown signal to the local area network router to cause the local area network router to suspend transmitting its wireless configuration identity. This detection may be in response to a signal from the router indicative of loss of the backhaul connection, or to an inability to connect to a backhaul connection through the router. The shutdown signal can be used to cause the local area network router to suspend transmission of its wireless configuration identity until it detects a backhaul connection, and then to resume transmission of its wireless configuration identity. The local area network router may be arranged to only respond to the shutdown signal if it detects that the wireless communications device has an identity previously recorded by the local area network router as authorised to operate in connection with the router.
On detecting a recovery signal from the local area network router indicative that a primary backhaul connection has become available through the local area network router, the wireless communications device that has been operating as a second network access point can shut that function down and cease to broadcast the replicated wireless configuration identity.
The wireless communications device may generate an indication on a user interface that it is operating as a secondary network access point, and may first generate a prompt in response to the signal from the first access device indicative of a loss of backhaul connection, requiring a user input before initiating operation as a second access point.
The wireless communications device may transmit redirection data to the data network to cause data addressed to the wireless communications device and any other data processing devices previously connected to the local area network router to be redirected by way of the secondary network. On detection of the recovery signal, the wireless communications device may then transmit further redirection data to the data network to reverse the redirection instructions such that data addressed to the wireless communications device and any other data processing devices previously connected to the local area network router is transmitted by way of the primary backhaul network and the local area network router.
The invention also provides a wireless communications device, having means for wireless communication with a data network through a local area network router connected to a primary backhaul connection, and means for communication with the data network through a second access point and a secondary network connection, the wireless communications device having a store for wireless configuration identity data received from a local area network router, and for broadcasting the wireless configuration identity data for detection by other wireless-enabled devices in the event of loss of the primary connection, the wireless communications device being operable both as a user terminal and to emulate the local area network router to allow other devices previously connected to the data network through the primary backhaul connection through the local area network router to make connection to the data network through the wireless communications device and the secondary connection.
The device may be arranged to respond to a signal indicating that the local area network router has no backhaul connection, by transmitting a shutdown signal to the local area network router to cause the local area network router to suspend transmitting its wireless configuration identity, and to respond to a recovery signal from the local area network router indicative that a primary backhaul connection is available through the local area network router, by shutting down its operation as a second network access point and ceasing to broadcast the duplicated wireless configuration identity.
The wireless communications device may be arranged to generate an indication on a user interface that it is operating as a second network access point, and may generate a prompt on the user interface in response to a signal from the first access device indicative of a loss of backhaul connection, operation as a second access point being initiated in response to a user input following the prompt.
The wireless communications device may be arranged to generate redirection data to cause data addressed to the wireless communications device and any other data processing devices previously connected to the local area network router to be redirected, and to transmit the redirection data to the data network.
The wireless communications device can therefore become a “clone” of the router, and act as a surrogate for it, so that that traffic between other terminals and the backhaul network can be routed through the device using a wireless connection such as a “4G” cellular connection. This allows continuity of service when a fixed backhaul connection has failed, or if there is a delay in installing one to customer premises, and in particular can access troubleshooting websites to help get the customer reconnected. The invention can be pre-installed as an application on the user terminal, which may be a dual-mode (Wifi/4g) internet-enabled “smartphone”.